Monitored by officers

According to Police Det. Christopher Nugent, officers who observed the bear near Long Hill Cross Road in the early evening said the bear appeared to be about 200 pounds.

The bear was observed in fields and wooded areas on both sides of Long Hill Cross Road, close to Bridgeport Avenue, for more than an hour. “He then went in an unknown direction,” Nugent said of the bear.

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Click below to see a photo taken of the bear on Wesley Drive in Shelton on April 30:

Officers observed the bear to make sure it didn’t get too close to areas where it could threaten people.

At about 8 p.m., police received reports the bear had crossed Old Stratford Road and went up a hill near the Center at Split Rock, putting it close to Route 8. “The area was checked but the bear was not found,” Nugent said.

Crossing Bridgeport Avenue

Gallagher said she’s heard the bear had trouble crossing Bridgeport Avenue, near Mill Street and Long Hill Cross Road. She said it appears the bear “was trying to figure out how to get across” such a well-traveled road.

Bridgeport Avenue is a busy thoroughfare, especially on weekdays when nearby office buildings are filled with employees.

But despite all the commercial and retail buildings in the vicinity, there also are many fields and wooded areas there as well.

May become more common

Gallagher said bears are likely to become more common in the future in this part of Connecticut. “People need to respect them and to live with them,” she said.

This means not putting out birdfeeders and not placing household garbage in non-secured, outdoor locations.

Problems usually only arise when bears begin to associate food with humans, and therefore start going near homes to try to find food.

Gallagher said bears have been seen in Shelton in the past, including in 2012 in the city’s White Hills section.